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Rampart Institute is an incorporated non-profit educational foundation officially launched in 1980 to “bring public awareness to
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
/individualist ideals through a unique education program,” and to revive some of the activities associated with the defunct Colorado Springs-based
Rampart College Rampart College, also referred to as the Freedom College was an unaccredited American libertarian educational institution established in 1956 by Robert LeFevre in Colorado. The college was a four-year school for followers of LeFevre's autarchism ...
(1963–1975) and
Freedom School Rampart College, also referred to as the Freedom College was an unaccredited American libertarian educational institution established in 1956 by Robert LeFevre in Colorado. The college was a four-year school for followers of LeFevre's autarchism ...
(1956–1973).


Early years

During the late 1970s, the driving personalities behind the establishment of Rampart Institute were
Robert LeFevre Robert LeFevre (October 13, 1911 – May 13, 1986) was an American libertarianism, libertarian businessman, radio personality, and primary theorist of autarchism. Early life LeFevre was born in Gooding, Idaho, on October 13, 1911, but when h ...
, Kenneth Gregg, Jr., Lawrence Samuels, and Richard Deyo. This push to create an educational think tank first came to fruition with the publication of two
Santa Ana College Santa Ana College is a public community college in Santa Ana, California. History In 1915, Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School. It was the second community college founded in Orange ...
speeches by Robert LeFevre in 1978 and 1979, and two booklets, ''Good Government: Hope or Illusion?'' and ''Does Government Protection Protect? The inauguration of Rampart Institute was held on April 19, 1980 with a “Tribute to Robert LeFevre” banquet at
The Future of Freedom Conference The Future of Freedom Conference is regarded as the first explicitly libertarian conference series ever held in the United States. Debuting in 1969, the conference's keynote speaker was Austrian economist Prof. Ludwig von Mises. The Ludwig von ...
at
Cypress College Cypress College is a public community college in Cypress, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education (55 associat ...
. Speakers were: Harry Hoiles of the Freedom Newspapers chain; Richard Deyo; businessman John Roscoe; attorney Linda Abrams; businessman Chuck Estes; attorney and one of the founders of the Future of Freedom Conference series, Shawn Steel; businessman Walt Ryan; Caroline Roper-Deyo; and Richard Radford. After obtaining 501(c) 3 non-profit status in 1981, Rampart Institute’s first elected president was libertarian historian Kenneth Gregg Jr. Its first executive director was writer Lawrence Samuels. Rampart Institute published two journals, the bi-monthly ''New Rampart'' and the quarterly ''Rampart Individualist.''


Middle years

One of the stated goals published in their 1980 prospectus was to acquire an office building to house LeFevre’s 7,000 “Freedom Library”, which had been in storage at the Northwood Institute in Dallas, Texas for years.“ Other objectives included a publishing house, speaker’s bureau, research library, periodicals, films, seminars and conferences, and the promotion of Robert LeFevre’s
autarchist Autarchism is a political ideology that promotes the principles of individualism and the moral ideology of individual liberty and self-reliance. It rejects compulsory government, and supports the elimination of government in favor of ruling ones ...
-based philosophy. Rampart Institute was one of the main co-sponsors of
The Future of Freedom Conference The Future of Freedom Conference is regarded as the first explicitly libertarian conference series ever held in the United States. Debuting in 1969, the conference's keynote speaker was Austrian economist Prof. Ludwig von Mises. The Ludwig von ...
series from 1980 to 1985. The institute sponsored the three Freeland Conferences in 1983, 1984, 1985 and the 1981 and 1982 Keys to Learning Expos held in Southern California. Some of the more noteworthy Executive Board members of Rampart Institute included author and objectivist
George H. Smith George Hamilton Smith (February 10, 1949 – April 8, 2022) was an American author, editor, educator, and speaker known for his writings on atheism and libertarianism in the United States. Early life and activism Born in Japan in 1949 to Fr ...
; an owner of the Love Box Company, Robert D. Love; vice chairman of the board of Freedom Newspaper, Harry Hoiles; systems analyst Jane Heider; Los Angeles attorney Linda Abrams; writer and publisher Richard Radford; author and founder of Rampart College, Robert LeFevre; businessmen Dennison and Randall Smith; League of Women Non-Voters leader Caroline Roper-Deyo; bestselling author John Pugsley; and individual feminist
Wendy McElroy Wendy McElroy (born 1951) is a Canadian individualist feminist and voluntaryist writer. McElroy is the editor of the website ifeminists.net. McElroy is the author of the book ''Rape Culture Hysteria'', in which she contends that rape cul ...
.


Liberty Book Project

One of the major projects that Rampart Institute undertook was the editing and publication of LeFevre’s 52-week audio home study-course called “The Fundamentals of Liberty”. The 487-page hardback book was published posthumous in 1988.


Later years

In later years, Rampart Institute sponsored a number of “Freeland Forum” events in Monterey, California. One was a debate between Prof.
David R. Henderson David Richard Henderson (born November 21, 1950) is a Canadian-born American economist and author who moved to the United States in 1972 and became a U.S. citizen in 1986, serving on President Ronald Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers from 198 ...
and Prof. Erika Weis McGrath in May 1993 at Monterey Peninsula College, entitled: “The 1980s: The Best of Times or the Worst of Times?” A series of co-sponsored speeches focused on opposing the drug war, with speeches by former San Jose police chief Joseph McNamara, and
Jack Herer Jack Herer (; June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010), sometimes called the "Emperor of Hemp", was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of the 1985 book '' The Emperor Wears No Clothes''. Herer founded and served as the director of th ...
, author of the underground bestseller ''The Emperor Wears No Clothes.''"Speech by Jack Herer, "FED-UP website, April 8, 200

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References


External links

* {{Official website, http://www.rampartinstitute.com/ (Archive) Think tanks based in the United States Think tanks established in 1980 Libertarian organizations based in the United States